(单词翻译:单击)
PARIS — Before arriving in the French capital, Wu Shuyun, a 56-year-old Chinese housewife, imagined Paris to be like a pristine film set for a romantic love story, picturing herself as a glamorous princess surrounded by elegant Parisians, decked out, perhaps, in Chanel.
巴黎——抵达法国首都前,现年56岁的中国主妇吴素云(音译)曾把巴黎想象成一个崭新的电影片场,用来拍摄一个浪漫的爱情故事,而她本人则是一个迷人的公主,周围环绕着优雅的巴黎人,他们身上穿的或许是香奈儿(Chanel)。
Instead, Ms. Wu from Kunming in southwest China, said she was shocked by the cigarette butts and dog manure, the rude insouciance of the locals and the gratuitous public displays of affection. Though friends had warned her about thieves targeting Chinese people, she said she was nevertheless surprised when a member of her tour group was mugged on a packed Metro car, as other riders watched.
然而,来自中国西南部城市昆明的吴素云在这里看到的却是烟屁股、狗大便、当地人令人不快的冷漠以及个人情感在公共场合的无端外露,她说这一切让她感到震惊。乘坐拥挤的地铁时,她所在旅行团的一位团员在众目睽睽之下遭到了抢劫,她说尽管有朋友提醒过她要当心专对中国人的扒手,她当时还是大吃一惊。
"For the Chinese, France has always been romantic, mysterious and desirable. We have been told that ‘God lives in France,' " she said recently after a two-week tour that included stops at the Eiffel Tower and Galeries Lafayette, an imposing, upscale department store with stained-glass domes where tour buses stop hourly to deposit tourists for marathon shopping sessions. "Once I realized that the Parisians were indifferent, I made the decision: Try to make the most of this trip, but never come back to Paris again."
“对我们这些中国人而言,法国一直是一个浪漫、神秘、令人向往的国度。我们听说‘法国人过着神仙般的日子'。但在认识到巴黎人的冷漠之后,我立刻做了一个决定:要好好享受这次旅程,但我再也不会来巴黎了。”吴素云不久前说这话时,已经结束了为期两个礼拜的巴黎之旅。这趟旅程的停靠站包含了埃菲尔铁塔和老佛爷百货商场(Galeries Lafayette)——后者是一家宏伟的高档百货商场,有着彩色玻璃穹顶,旅行团的巴士常常在此停留,让游客们进行马拉松式的购物血拼。
A growing number of Chinese tourists in Paris — armed with wads of cash, typically unable to speak French and still somewhat na?ve about the ways of the West after decades of China's relative isolation — are falling victim to their unrealistic expectations of the city, while also being victimized by brazen thieves who target them because they are easily identifiable as Asian, Chinese tourism industry officials here say.
巴黎的中国游客总是揣着大把的现金,通常不会说法语,并在某种程度上对西方世界抱有天真的想象——毕竟中国曾长期处在相对孤立的状态。中国驻巴黎的旅游业官员称,越来越多的中国游客因为对这座城市怀有不切实际的期待而产生受骗上当之感;与此同时,他们还成了无良盗贼的俎上鱼肉,这些盗贼专挑他们下手,因为很容易就能看出他们是亚洲人。
Alarm that Chinese tourists are at risk from bandits is so acute that the Chinese government recently considered sending police officers to Paris to help protect them. Paris tourism officials said the proposal was shelved amid concerns over how they would operate.
中国游客所面临的遭遇抢匪的风险令人极度焦虑,以致于中国政府最近曾考虑派警察到巴黎保护他们。巴黎旅游业官员称,由于中国警察将如何执行任务的问题引发了各种担忧,这一提议被暂时搁置了。
The French capital — celebrated for its beauty, culture and savoir faire — still retains huge allure, making it the No. 1 destination in Europe for China's burgeoning middle class and growing legion of millionaires, according to the European Federation of Chinese Tourism. Nearly one million Chinese tourists came to Paris last year, according to the Paris Tourism Office, spending more than one billion euros on everything from Cartier watches to meals at Michelin-starred restaurants, and outspending both Japanese and Americans on shopping. Now, however, Paris's glittering image in China is losing its luster amid reports of robberies of Chinese tourists, according to Chinese newspapers and social media.
欧洲华人旅游业联合总会(European Federation of Chinese Tourism,简称EFCT)称,因为美景、文化和得体举止而闻名遐迩的法国首都仍然具有巨大的吸引力,让它成为中国新兴的中产阶层以及日益扩大的富豪群体在欧洲的首选旅游目的地。巴黎旅游局(Paris Tourism Office)的数据显示:去年,共有近100万名中国游客到访巴黎。他们购买卡利亚(Cartier)腕表,在米其林星级餐厅里吃大餐,总消费额突破了10亿欧元。此外,他们的购物总支出比日本人和美国人还要高。但中国报纸和社交媒体称,眼下中国游客遭抢劫的新闻报道,让中国人心目中熠熠生辉的巴黎黯然失色。
A group of 75 French luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Hermès, warned last year that high-spending Chinese tourists fearful for their safety could choose to go to Italy or Britain instead. Concerns about the consequences for the country's vaunted tourism industry have intensified as the French economy has stagnated.
一个由路易威登(Louis Vuitton)、香奈儿、爱马仕(Hermès)等75个法国奢侈品牌组成的团体去年警告称:由于担心人身安全得不到保障,那些出手阔绰的中国游客有可能选择去意大利或者英国,而非法国。在法国经济停滞不前之际,人们越来越担心这会给该国引以为傲的旅游产业带来负面影响。
According to the Paris-based European Federation of Chinese Tourism, which represents 30 travel agencies catering to Chinese tourists, the number of group tours coming to the French capital has fallen 20 percent so far this year compared with 2013. The Paris Tourism Office said that a 21 percent jump in the number of Chinese tourists last year had nearly halved in 2014.
总部位于巴黎的欧洲华人旅游业联合总会(European Federation of Chinese Tourism)由30家服务中国游客的旅行社组成,该协会提供的数据显示:今年到目前为止,以巴黎为目的地的团体游数量较2013年同期减少了20%。巴黎旅游局称,中国游客的数量去年增长了21%;今年的增长率已经下降了近一半。
Chinese nerves were already frayed after a group of 23 Chinese on a tour of Europe were attacked in March of last year in the gritty northern suburbs of Paris just hours after they landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport. The group leader was injured, and the thieves fled with 7,500 euros — about $9,600 — passports and plane tickets.
去年3月的一起案件已经令中国人神经紧绷,一个由23组成的欧洲旅游团在戴高乐机场(Charles de Gaulle Airport)落地几个小时后,就在混乱的巴黎北部郊区遭到袭击。旅行团负责人受伤,劫匪抢走了7500欧元(约合5.9万元人民币)、护照和飞机票。
After six Chinese students studying winemaking were mugged in Bordeaux three months later, Beijing demanded that the French government take action.
三个月后,六名学习酿酒的中国学生在波尔多遭到抢劫,北京方面要求法国政府采取行动。
Pierre Shi, secretary general of the European Federation of Chinese Tourism, said Chinese visitors were being preyed upon because they were known to carry large amounts of cash to avoid paying multiple currency exchange fees. Bargain-seeking Chinese tour operators were also booking hotels in Paris's northern suburbs.
EFCT秘书长石恒余(Pierre Shi)表示,中国游客成为抢劫目标是因为众所周知,他们喜欢携带大量现金,以避免支付多重货币兑换费。贪便宜的中国旅行社预定的都是巴黎北部郊区的宾馆。
"Chinese tourists are attracted to Paris by the glamour, by the desire to buy designer brands, by an image of France as a country of philosophers and revolution," said Mr. Shi, who runs his own travel agency, ID Travel Pro. "But now, they are afraid to come. Before, they wouldn't think twice."
“吸引中国游客来巴黎的是它的魅力、设计师品牌,以及那种以哲学家和革命著称的国家形象,”石恒余说。“但他们现在不敢来巴黎。以前是想都不想就来了。”石恒余开了一家名为ID Travel Pro的旅行社。
Psychologists warned that Chinese tourists shaken by thieves and dashed expectations were at risk for Paris Syndrome, a condition in which foreigners suffer depression, anxiety, feelings of persecution and even hallucinations when their rosy images of Champagne, majestic architecture and Monet are upended by the stresses of a city whose natives are also known for being among the unhappiest people on the planet.
心理学家警告称,在盗贼和失望情绪的打击下,中国游客可能会患上巴黎综合症(Paris Syndrome),当外国人对香槟、宏伟建筑及莫奈(Monet)的美好想象因这座城市的压力感而破灭时——巴黎人被认为是世界上最不幸福的人之一——他们会感到沮丧、焦虑,出现抑郁、焦虑、被害妄想,甚至是幻觉。
The expression was first coined 30 years ago by a Paris-based Japanese psychiatrist, Hiroaki Ota, after several Japanese visitors to Paris fell ill when their culture of politeness and reserve rubbed up against Gallic haughtiness.
30年前,居住在巴黎的日本心理学家太田博昭(Hiroaki Ota)首次提出了这个说法,当时几名到访巴黎的日本游客因为其礼貌、拘谨的文化与法国人的傲慢发生碰撞而患病。
Dr. Ota said in an interview in his office that because China had been closed off to the West for so long, some Chinese travelers could be at risk for culture shock and depression when faced with the harsher realities of a city they had over-idealized. But he noted that the Chinese were less susceptible to Paris Syndrome than the Japanese, since they were fortified by a directness and an outsize sense of self that was similar to the French.
太田博昭博士在办公室接受采访时表示,由于中国对西方闭关锁国多年,一些中国游客在面对这个被他们过度美化的城市的残酷现状时会产生文化冲击和沮丧感。但他指出,与日本人相比,中国人不易患巴黎综合症,因为他们像法国人一样直接、自大,内心强大。
"Whereas Japanese are reserved, polite and formal, the Chinese have a strong sense of national pride like the French, and they are not shy," he said.
“日本人是含蓄、礼貌、拘谨的,中国人则像法国人一样有强烈的民族自豪感,而且他们不会害羞,”他说。
Thomas Deschamps, the head of research at the Paris Tourism Office, said culture shock was particularly prevalent among travelers from Asia, who sometimes wrongly perceived the French capital as a museum.
在巴黎旅游局负责研究工作的托马斯·德尚(Thomas Deschamps)说,亚洲游客有时候会误以为法国首都是一座博物馆,他们尤为可能遭受文化上的冲击。
"They watch movies like ‘Amélie Poulain'; they think all Parisians carry Louis Vuitton purses and smell like Dior," he said. "They don't know about the working-class suburbs, the overworked waiters, the grittier parts of the city. Paris is not a museum. People are busy, they are stressed, they are living their lives."
“他们看的是《天使爱美丽》之类的电影;他们以为每个法国人手上都拿着路易威登包,身上都散发着迪奥(Dior)香水的味道,”他说,“他们不了解住在郊区的工薪阶层和劳累过度的侍应生,不了解这个城市不那么光鲜的一面。巴黎不是一座博物馆。人们忙忙碌碌,顶着压力,过着自己的生活。”
To help protect and reassure Chinese tourists, Mr. Deschamps said, the city has beefed up security at popular sites like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, while instituting warnings in Mandarin to be vigilant against pickpockets on the Paris Metro.
德尚说,为了帮助保护中国游客、打消他们心头的顾虑,这座城市已经在艾菲尔铁塔、卢浮宫( Louvre)等广受欢迎的景点加强了安保措施,并在巴黎地铁上用普通话警告乘客小心扒手。
The Paris police have also introduced complaint forms in Chinese.
巴黎警方还推出了中文的投诉表格。
Meanwhile, the tourism industry has redoubled its efforts to be more culturally sensitive. An online guide for hotels and businesses produced by the Chamber of Commerce for Tourism in Paris notes that for visiting Chinese, a "simple smile and hello in their language will plainly please them."
与此同时,旅游界正加倍努力地提升自己的文化敏感度。巴黎旅游业商会(Chamber of Commerce for Tourism in Paris)为酒店和商家制作了一份在线指南,那上边说:接待中国游客时,“奉上一个简单的微笑,再用他们的语言跟他们简单地打声招呼,就可以很明显地让他们高兴起来。”
While thieves and Gallic aloofness could be a hazard, some Chinese in Paris said they deserved some of the blame for the French reactions they sometimes provoked.
巴黎的一些华人表示,中国游客可能会因扒手以及法国人的冷漠而受到伤害,但他们也要对法国人的反应负一定的责任,有时候,那些反应正是他们自己挑起来的。
"The Chinese are used to spitting. We are used to snapping our fingers to get attention, or even yelling," said Mr. Shi, the Chinese travel agency federation chief. "But if you do that with a French waiter, they will ignore you even more."
“中国人习惯于随地吐痰。我们还习惯于通过打响指或者大喊大叫来引起注意,”石恒余说,“但你要是对着法国侍应生做这样的事情,他们只会更加忽视你。”